MEMORIALS; Tribute to 9/11 Victims Hits a Cost Snag

By LISA W. FODERARO

Published: February 20, 2005

UNTIL now, the process of creating an official county memorial to Sept. 11 had been remarkably free of discord. Last year, a 10-member committee voted unanimously for Frederic Schwartz's submission, ''The Rising,'' a soaring sculpture with 109 intersecting steel cables, each representing a victim who lived in Westchester.

But on Monday, county legislators met with Mr. Schwartz, a highly regarded Manhattan architect, and were distressed to learn about another aspect of the memorial that is soaring: the cost. When Westchester solicited designs for the memorial, county officials set the maximum price tag at $200,000. Mr. Schwartz's submission, one of 37, came in at $189,000.

Two weeks ago, Mr. Schwartz informed the county that engineering studies now showed that the design would cost almost $900,000 to execute. The increase resulted from rising steel prices and the realization that thick rods, not cables, would be needed to support the 80-foot structure, county officials and Mr. Schwartz said. The rods, in turn, prompted a more complex and costly design that will require much more steel than anticipated, he said.

''We were very, very surprised -- to put it mildly,'' said Susan Tolchin, the chief adviser to the county executive, Andrew J. Spano.

Still, Mr. Spano assured victims' relatives that he was committed to the project and asked the county's Board of Legislators to approve an amendment to the capital bond for an additional $700,000. The original bond authorization was for $150,000. (The state has pledged $50,000.)

''This is a one-of-a-kind design,'' Ms. Tolchin said. ''Things happen, and I'm not minimizing it, but we lost 109 residents of Westchester.'' From the beginning, county officials said they hoped that a fund-raising campaign would defray the costs associated with maintaining the site. The memorial is to be unveiled on Sept. 11 at Kensico Dam Plaza, a county-owned park in Valhalla. So far the county has received less than $7,000, but Ms. Tolchin said the county would ramp up its fund-raising drive.

At the meeting Monday between members of two legislative committees and Mr. Schwartz, the tension was palpable. Mr. Schwartz, who is donating his time to the project, is a founder of the Think team whose entry in the master-plan competition for ground zero was the runner-up in that contest.

''With all due respect -- I know you're world-renowned -- but if someone comes to me and asks for something for $200,000, and it comes in at $900,000, maybe you change the design,'' said Martin L. Rogowsky, a Democrat. He also asked for a project delay to raise more money.

That prompted an emotional defense of the design and the time frame from Mr. Schwartz, who told Mr. Rogowsky that he found the exchange ''insulting.''

In an interview after the meeting, Mr. Schwartz said his first concern was for the victims' relatives. ''The families have no place to go,'' he said. ''They don't have a grave for their children, because they have nothing to bury. Many don't want to go to ground zero again. They want to go to a place near home.''

Vito J. Pinto, another Democratic legislator, said in an interview after the meeting that he hoped Mr. Schwartz would seek other estimates. He also faulted the county's fledgling fund-raising efforts. ''I think we have really fallen short of what our goals should be,'' he said.

But Mr. Pinto said he thought the legislature would ultimately cover the added expense.

''It's kind of hard to say no,'' he said. ''It's a very passionate issue.''